Eva K. Thorp

Training of Infant Specialists: A Look to the Future.

Issues are clarified that relate to the preparation of personnel from different disciplines concerned with meeting the multiple and unique needs of infants and their families. Issues in two major areas are addressed: the content of personnel preparation programs and the processes used for training. Recommendations for future preparation are also offered.

Cracking the Challenge of Changing Dispositions: Changing Hearts and Minds through Stories, Narratives, and Direct Cultural Interactions.

This paper reports the findings of a study that examined changes in interns’ culturally and family-responsive dispositions over the course of a 2-year early childhood teacher preparation program that prepares teachers who are willing and able to work with culturally, linguistically, and ability-diverse young children and their families. Specifically, we studied shifts in dispositions about (a) building relationships with families, (b) feeling comfortable working with children and families with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and (c) being willing to implement culturally responsive and relevant curriculum and instruction. Qualitative methodologies were employed to examine the guiding-principles paper interns wrote at the conclusion of the program. Results of the study indicate that interns perceived that their attitudes toward and beliefs about families with cultures different from their own changed over the course of the program. They attributed these changes, in part, to their engagement in activities that involved home visits and gathering families’ stories. The interns felt they gained a greater understanding of cultural diversity and changed some of their assumptions and biases as a result of spending time with families and getting to know their sociocultural context as well as their beliefs, priorities, and goals. The interns perceived that this intimate knowledge of families helped them provide culturally responsive instruction that took into account children’s diversity and promoted cultural and linguistic continuity between home and school.

Philosophy as Training in Infancy Personnel Preparation

Some of the most important qualities of the personnel who deliver early intervention services appear to be those related to their orientations toward families and the interdisciplinary process. Fostering these qualities at a preservice level may present unique challenges to training programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe a practicum model that directly addresses these training issues by using a written philosophy as a framework for self-reflection by students.

Collaborative systems design for Part H of IDEA

Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) envisions a new paradigm of service delivery to young children with special needs and their families. In order to create an integrated system of services that is family focused and community based, agencies at state and local levels must engage in collaborative planning. This article focuses on the nature of effective collaborative planning, elements critical to that planning process, common pitfalls that communities may encounter, and the benefits to be derived. Experiences to date predict the effectiveness of planning in achieving Part H goals

The Impact of Early Intervention Legislation: Local Perceptions.

Local interagency coordinating council (LICC) coordinators from one state were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the implementation of early intervention legislation in their locality. From a larger study addressing many questions, the data reported in this article focus on the impact of early intervention legislation at the local level. Study participants reported positive local impact in the areas of family-centered services and service coordination, improved childfind and referral for services, funding, networking, and developmental outcomes. Negative effects included difficulty in negotiating system bureaucracies, increased paperwork, reduction in “at-risk” services, increased financial responsibility for parents, and budget impacts from nonreimbursable services. Study participants also reported a discrepancy between the vision of the legislation and the reality of local implementation in the areas of comprehensive services, interagency collaboration, and family involvement in system change.